A. Language Learning Media Elements in Clash of Clans Game
1. Language Learning Media Elements
The main composure of this research is to find out that the Clash of Clans game can enhance the language learning as suitable media. To know about that, at first, some features in the game will be introduced. The researcher also will analyze the essential function of the features which act
87Peterson, Mark, op. cit., p. 56-57 & 60.
49
as the elements and lies within it. To support the beliefs, some shots and dialogue evidences which denote the feature are explained below:
a. Give suitable environment to answer learner multiple needs.
Learner need is state which combining the learners expectation about their learning result, with their current comprehension and knowledge. 88 Through the utilization of varied instruction strategies, all learners need can be fulfilled and also help them to meet and exceed the defined standards. 89 To meet all the learners need, the game also using the same principle. Figure 2 denotes the „Unit Description‟ features which embedded either inside or outside the game.
There are three forms of unit description which can be found by the players to help them determine the unit. Picture 2a denotes the first unit description feature, which is the newest, namely: “New Units”
feature. It is part of the “For You” tab. Picture 2b denotes the second feature namely: “Barracks Army Information”. The picture 2c denotes the outside feature which acts as the supportive feature and can be accessed only through the exclude internet browser, namely:
“Wikia.com”. The name of the unit denoted in the picture 2a and 2b are marked with the yellow dashed box. In this section, the „Wizard‟
88“3.2.6 Identifying Learner Needs”, in http://www.pcrest3.com/fgb/efgb4/3/3_2_6.htm, December 9th 2017.
89Levy, M. H., “Meeting the Needs of All Students through Differentiated Instruction:
Helping Every Child Reach and Exceed Standards”, The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, Vol. 81 No. 4 2008, p. 161.
unit is taken as the example, and the description is denoted in the red dashed box. In the first place, players can find the unit description just by opening the “For You” tab (picture 2a) to look for a brief description for the unit.
Furthermore, the expanded description can be found throughout the second feature: “Barracks Army Information” (picture 2b). If the players need more detailed information, the last feature: “Wikia.com”
(picture 2c) can be accessed outside the game by touching the link below the “For You” tab (picture 2a) description which is denoted in the blue dashed box. It can be seen from some pictures below:
Simpson and Ure said that, there are some points which shared by the learners associated with their needs, one of them is the cognition factors. They define it as the need to have some description or
(a)
(b) (c)
Figure 2: The „Unit Description‟ in-game feature
explanation which understandable; to be clarified from misconceptions and misunderstanding; to have some supportive materials which enhanced the construction of specification or notional expansions; to have such structure viable as a concept-mapping, to succor the elaboration of comprehension. 90
Suit with the Simpson and Ure study, those features which are shown by the picture give some options for the player to choose best cognition game toward the game and can be matched suit the player cognition need. The players can maintain the environment which is needed by themselves by choosing the in-game atmospheric feature or the exclude supportive one.
b. Providing the affective, cognitive and social need aspects of the learner.
The three domains are significant elements for language learning media. Some features in the game will afford the aspect of the domains:
1) Affective
First affective domain is an area concerned with learners feeling or emotions. 91 It also deals with the learner ability in giving some values, appreciations, enthusiasms, motivations and
90Languages Without Limits, “DEVELOPING INCLUSIVE PRACTICE, MEETING LEARNERS‟ NEEDS”, in http://www.languageswithoutlimits.co.uk/sharedneeds.html, December 4th 2017.
91The Second Principles, “Three Domains of Learning – Cognitive Affective, Psychomotor”, in https://thesecondprinciple.com/instructional-design/threedomainsoflearning/, December 9th 2017.
attitudes. 92 Some features within the game can also enhance learner affective domain.
Figure 3 point out some features in the game which offers the affective domain for the player. Picture 3a point out one of the
“For You” tab content which agitates player beliefs and the attitude of worth by informing them about new things that unlocked by the level. Picture 3b also point out another contents of the feature which notifies the player about their things that up ahead will be unlocked. Based on the observation, the function of this feature seems can help players organize and conceptualize every single resource and matter in the game. The players‟
sensitiveness can be sharped through enchanting layout and display let them explore more about the game and develop their village (picture 3c). Players are also asked to give some responses, to attract them to give some active stimuli (picture 3d).
Those four aspects will help the player to build their behavior and specific mind values considering the player in-game philosophy. The features will be displayed by the picture below:
92“Bloom's Taxonomy: The Affective Domain”, in https://
http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/Bloom/affective_domain.html, December 9th 2017.
The affective domain which is needed by the learner consists of aspects which comply with these features. According to Krathwohl, the affective domain aspects consist of: receiving, responding, valuing, organization and characterization. All of the aspects are found within the features in the picture. 93 Some enchanting content of the game let player to feel sense getting the experience. Moreover, they can also feel enjoy and satisfy during the play, give some value to it, creating and integrating the features and content within it and resolve to judge. In short, it can be used by the language learners to gain the second or foreign
93The Second Principles, “Three Domains of Learning – Cognitive Affective, Psychomotor”, in https://thesecondprinciple.com/instructional-design/threedomainsoflearning/, December 4th 2017.
(b) (a)
(c) (d)
Figure 3: The affective feature in the game
language acquisition and to enhance the language learning activity by giving learners right affection and motivation.
2) Cognitive
Cognitive domain is mental activity in acquiring knowledge and comprehension thorough thought, experience and the senses.
94 It also deals with human ability to adjust to all reality aspect. 95 The cognition also embodies the process of getting knowledge, memories, reasons, evaluations, problem solves, decisions making and language productions. Figure 4 point out the feature of the cognitive domain which can be found in the game. There are some options which can be found in the game so that the players can choose the preferable settings on their own. Picture 4a refers to the
“Settings” menu which can be accessed in the game. The setting also consists of the preferable language in use, pointed out by the yellow dashed box in the picture 4a. There are some languages which can be picked by the player, can be seen in the picture 4b, 4c and 4d. Overall, it consists 20 languages options such as:
English, Français (French), Deutsch, Espanol (Spanish), Italiano, Nederlands, Norsk, Português, Türkçe, Pуусĸий (Russian), some Mandarin, Japan Katakanas and Hiraganas, Koreans, Arabic, Farsi, Bahasa Indonesia, Melayu, Tiệng Viết (Vietnam), and Thai.
94Wikipedia, “Cognition”, in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognition#cite_ref-1, December 9th 2017.
95Wikipedia, “Domain-general learning”, in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain- general_learning, December 9th 2017.
The player can pick one language which one to be used and changed it at their will. Such things can be found within some in- game features which will be displayed by these pictures:
The players can compare a language one another to see the same meaning for specific word formation and sentences.
According to Bloom‟s Taxonomy, there are six factors consist of the cognitive domain: Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation. The feature can give all the manifestation of the aspect. Through the in-game language features players can retrieve the language materials, the language content within the game also let player to see and comprehend the language application in the form of sentences and paragraphs, some help in the chat features will help the to compose the
(b)
(c) (d)
Figure 4: The cognitive feature in the game (a)
language and interact with some players in the same language and do some evaluation if there‟s some language mistakes happened.
This will help the player to improve their language cognitive domain by exposing thorough artificial multiple language environment. The players can enhance their lexical knowledge by using the feature.
3) Social Needs
Social needs come from the ideas human beings are social beings. Human beings lean to universality which embodies in the traits and make human beings natural, historical and universal, social-universal and universal conscious entities. 96 By those ideas, learner also needs some aspect in their learning which provide those needs. The social needs can be seen from the figure 5. It point out the “Chat” features which are provided in the game to communicate each other between the players. The feature is divided into two functions: the first, picture 5a point out the
“Global Chat” features (yellow dashed box) which can be accessed by every player to communicate with other players around the world. By accessing this function, the player can also choose which specific world region that they refer to. The second, picture 5b point out another function known as “Clan Chat”
feature (inside the yellow dashed box). This function can only be
96Wikipedia, “Need”, in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Need, December 9th 2017.
accessed specifically by the members of certain clan. Through this feature the members of the clan can do some short conversation of interaction regarding the clan activity, strategies, instruction, event, etc. Some pictures below will show the in-game features that support the social needs for the learners:
By using this feature the social needs which are needed by the player can be fulfilled and also let the players practice their written language skills.
Based and the Graves‟ book, the social need or social context consists of three areas and the feature above can cover all the things. The first is sociolinguistic skill, it involves the attitude toward selecting and functioning the appropriate language and linguistic behavior. It also involves the using of appropriate
(a) (b)
Figure 5: The social needs feature in the game
written or spoken phrase in certain condition. 97 The chat feature can help the player to practice the appropriate language content in use within player interaction each other. The second one, sociocultural skills consist of the way person in identify the values, norms and customs which prevail in a community. The chat feature also can help the player to practice this area. In later section‟s segments, this area will further explained within the chat feature. The last is sociopolitical skill consist of how one can critically take action in order to participate collaboratively within the community. The chat feature also supports the enhancement of this area, by providing place to do some interaction between players. This area also will be further described in later section‟s segments.
The social need of which one of three significant domains of the players can be implemented to the language learner and give them chance to directly applied the lesson. Through these features the three domains of the player can be extracted as elements which can enhance the language learning and also act as the supportive media.
97Graves, Kathleen, Designing Language Courses, (Boston: Heinle, Cengage Learning, 2000), p. 51.
c. Offer learning structure which can be constructed by the learner.
Learning structure contains pragmatic skills and regularly practices which support effective learning. 98 Pragmatic skill, which are significant for people in expressing and delivering the contents of thoughts, ideas and feelings, is social language skills that people use in the daily interactions within the community. 99 Learners with proficient learning skill are influenced by their structural environments amongst them. By providing right learning structure, some points of learning skill can be enhanced.
From figure 6 points out that there are three different in-game features which can be seen from the pictures. Picture 6a represents the
“For You” tab (yellow dashed box), which offers some excluded recommended video tutorial about certain level game (blue dashed box). By clicking the video link, players can access it outside the game by using separate internet browser. The recommended video is matched with player current level along with other video which can support the gameplay. The red dashed box, which contains the
“Explore” button, will travel the players into the next page of this feature: “New Features” which is represented in the picture 6b.
98Online Learning Consortium, “Effective Learning Structure”, in http://olc.onlinelearningconsortium.org/effective_practices/effective-learning-structure, December 9th 2017.
99PORTAL MyHEALTH, “Pragmatic Skills”, in http://www.myhealth.gov.my/en/pragmatic- skills/, December 15th 2017.
The feature in this picture contain some brief explanation about the new things which just unlocked by the players. The players also can get some detailed description by clicking the link (blue dashed box) to go to the outside feature: “Wikia.com” by using excluded internet browser which already explained in the figure 2. Players also can find out sufficient description of the unit or new things which already afforded in the game itself, represented in the picture 6c.
This picture represents one of the examples of in game features:
“Barracks Army Information” which gives sufficient information and description about the unit (already mentioned in the figure 2). The yellow dashed box represents the name of the units, and the red dashed box represents the unit description.
Pictures below show some features within the game which comply with the learning structures:
(a) (b)
Figure 6: The various features for the game construction (c)
This figure represents the included and excluded features of the game which let the player to construct their own learning structure throughout the game feature and items. According to Rebecca and Oxford, the significant aspect of language learning and teaching either for intuitive-random and sensing-sequential learners is to give variety and choice of structures. 100 This feature which can be seen within the pictures can be implemented as an element which can enhance the language learning activity so that the learners can have some freedom to construct their own learning structures with exact materials which can be picked by themselves, suit with their needs. They can choice which structure that they want to choose to help them practice their language ability and performances.
d. Giving the learners direction of the self-learning process.
To help the learners to direct the self-learning process, there are some limit and framework which need to be applied. Learning framework or commonly known as curriculum framework is a composed arrangement or set of guidelines or learning results that characterizes the substance to learn as far as clear, quantifiable principles of what the learners need to know and have the capacity to
100Rebecca, L. & Oxford P., “Language Learning Styles and Strategies: An Overview”, Learning Styles & Strategies, 2003, p. 5.
do. 101 The limits within it will give some portions for the learners in directing their self-learning process.
Some picture shots in figure 7 are dealing with another role of
“For You” feature. The amount of information which is accessible by the players is limited suit with the player current level. Picture 7a tells the first appearance of the “For You” tab (yellow dashed box) which is give the exact same recommendation content with the player current level (the example taken is „Town Hall‟ level 9). When the “Explore”
button (red dashed box) is clicked, the next page will open, picture 7b, which tells the main overview of the things and unit of the player current level, “Town Hall 9” (yellow dashed box).
Similarly, when the “Town Hall 10” (red dashed box) is clicked, the next page containing the next town hall level will tell up, in this picture, the next town hall level is displayed (yellow dashed box) and within the icon of the town hall there is a picture of padlock (red dashed box). This image tells that all the contents in this page are still unlocked till the players have done the level upgrade. If we scroll the page, players can see the further description of limitation in the bottom of the page which is told in the picture 7d, inside the red dashed box.
The following pictures will manifest the presence of the features inside the game:
101Wikipedia, “Curriculum framework”, in
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curriculum_framework#cite_ref-1, December 9th 2017.
This feature act as the content limitation which is cannot be accessed yet by the player. Furthermore, it will be unlocked when the players already reach the level, which gives some framework for the player to develop their village.
Based on Massachusetts Foreign Languages Curriculum Framework, a framework can provide some guidance to design and integrate the study of languages and cultures. 102 Furthermore, Cambridge International Examinations also said that the framing of learning objectives, goals and purposes as a progressive can-do order should drive the use of learning-centered, activity-based approaches,
102Massachusetts Department of Education, Massachusetts Foreign Languages Curriculum Framework, (Massachusetts: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Education, 1999), p. 3.
(a) (b)
Figure 7: Some in-game limit and framework.
(d) (c)
in the implementation of the frameworks. 103 This element can be used for the language learner so they can direct their learning process by themselves. The limitation inside the framework can let the players to comprehend and overcomes the materials concurrently without worrying the expanded things which come next.
e. Being an independent source of language learning content.
Learning content is a group of aspects which categorized within certain learning domain which anticipated to be learned and shape the fundamental of teaching and learning. 104 Learning content for a specific module or subject will be further produced and obtained only by the learner in an ideal circumstance. 105 In figure 8, there are some picture shots which refer to the specific featured description. Picture 8a signifies one of the game features and taken as the example: “Train Army” tab (yellow dashed box), which is the content of “Train and Brew” feature. In the tab, some army units are signified with their own icon complete with the detailed information button, which pointed by the small blue „i‟ symbol in the above right corner of the icon (red dashed box). If the „i‟ button is clicked, the detailed information page will be displayed along with the unit description.
103Cambridge International Examinations, Cambridge Primary: English as a Second Language Curriculum Framework (with codes), (Cambridge: University of Cambridge, 2013).
104International Bureau of Education, “Learning content”, in http://www.ibe.unesco.org/en/glossary-curriculum-terminology/l/learning-content, December 9th 2017.
105Ros, M. Z. & Lizenberg, N., “Sequencing of contents and learning objects-part II”, RED:
Revista de Educación a Distancia, Vol. 14 No. 2 2006, p. 3.